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Thursday, April 30, 2015

New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal on Thursday expressed grief over the death of a teenager who was allegedly eve teased and then jumped off a bus that is owned by him and his family.

"I am aggrieved over this incident. It is unfortunate that bus belongs to us. Whatever happened is not good and it is like Himalayan blunder. It is the biggest sin," Singh told reporters.

A 13-year-old girl reportedly died and her mother was seriously injured when they had to jump out of a moving private bus to avoid molestation by some youth along with the bus conductor near Punjab's Moga town.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening.

The bus belonged to Orbit company, owned by the ruling Badal family, which came under fire from rivals parties with Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann demanding that they come clean on the issue.

In June, the 39th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in Bonn, Germany, to determine new additions to the list of World Heritage Sites. India already has 32 such sites, and 47 more from the country that were added to the “Tentative List” over the past two decades will be considered by the committee this year.

Of those 47, arguably the most iconic, and certainly the most visited, is Amritsar’s Sri Harmandir Sahib, the holiest site in Sikhism that is known to most non-Sikhs as the Golden Temple. The nomination and selection of World Heritage Sites is generally the subject of little controversy. But the prospect of the Golden Temple’s selection has caused great alarm among sections of the Sikh community. A change.org petition, submitted by a Sikh student in Belgium and calling on UNESCO to delete Harmandir Sahib from the tentative list, has got more than 12,000 signatures.

Most people have no idea that the Pentagon is holding a major celebration to celebrate Vaisakhi. Or that Vaisakhi is the birthday of the world's fifth largest religion. Why? Because the Sikh community as a whole, is often ignored in this country. The time has come to know more about our Sikh neighbors.

Let's start with the FBI's most recent Hate Crimes Statistics (released 12/2014) because the findings are telling. Race is still the leading cause of hate crimes in the U.S., followed by sexual-orientation and religion. Among major religious groups, Jewish people are most likely to be attacked (60.3 percent) followed by Muslims (13.7 percent) and people from "other religions" (11.2 percent). Unfortunately, those statistics do not separately track anti-Sikh hate crimes, only including them within "other religions." Fortunately, this practice has now come to an end. Following years of advocacy, the FBI is finally implementing a system to track anti-Sikh bias, along with bias against many other self-identified religious groups. It's about time. Because the Sikh community is being attacked.

Last summer in New York City, Joseph Caleca yelled "Osama!" at Sandeep Singh before running him over and dragging Singh for 30 feet. Only days later, a group of teens, male and female, attacked another Sikh man walking to dinner with his mother. These are not isolated incidents. The Sikh community is repeatedly targeted by verbal and physical violence. Sometimes the perpetrators escape apprehension. But in the case of Sandeep Singh, community activism led to Caleca's arrest and an indictment for attempted murder and hate crime charges.

THE holiest day in the Sikh calendar was celebrated on Sunday when the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan procession procession brought colour and beauty to Slough.

The procession set off from the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha temple in Sheehy Way at 11am accompanied by an explosion of fireworks.

The thousands of dedicated Sikhs who took part were celebrating Vaisakhi, the initiation of the first five members of the Khalsa in 1699 by the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

The Khalsa is seen as the eternal living embodiment of the Sikh Guru. Every initiated Sikh is a member of the Khalsa – wearing the Five K’s; the Kesh (turban), Kirpan (small sword), Kanga (wooden comb), Kashera (undergarment) and Kara (iron bracelet).

Sunday, April 26, 2015

In an emergency meeting of the members and officers of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) led by its president Manjit Singh GK it was decided to organise langars (community kitchen) in earth quake struck Nepal. The decision is considered historic as for the first time the Gurdwara committee is offering help to the people struck by a natural tragedy outside the country.

Manjit Singh GK told the media that a team led by senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Onkar Singh Thapar is leaving for Kathmandu, Nepal tomorrow morning to set up the base camp of DSGMC. Chaman Singh and Samardeep Singh Sunny are also part of the team, who would take stock of situation and on the basis of their report material for langar and other relief material would be sent.

DSGMC president said that on the plea of the government of India, DSGMC has started sending food packets for 25,000 people and is setting special camp shortly in Kathmandu for preparing round the clock langar for 10,000 people. “The Gurdwara committee is also setting up a control room for sending help to Bihar on the lines of help given to the people of Uttrakhand and Kashmir when in the past calamity struck the two states,” informed Manjit Singh GK who also informed that DSGMC is also offering langar to the protesters every day at Jantar Mantar, irrespective of their party, allegiance and issues raised by them.

Langar for the earth quake affected people in Bihar and Nepal is prepared at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Manjit Singh GK has appealed the people to come forward and support the most genuine cause for the mankind.

DSGMC General secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa informed that instructions for beginning langar came from SAD patron and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president and Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. “We are also ready to send dry ration, medicines, clothes, chappals, and blankets,” informed Sirsa. Speaking on the availability of means for helping the people of Nepal and Bihar Sirsa informed that DSGMC has self sufficient resources to perform any kind of sewa and run without any kind of aid from government or any other agency.

DSGMC Joint secretary Amarjeet Singh Pappu, member Kulwant Singh Bath, Kulmohan Singh, Jatinder Singh Goldy, Darshan Singh, Chaman Singh and Paramjeet Singh Rana and former MLA Jatinder Singh Shanty were also present. After the meeting a delegation led by Onkar Singh Thapar met Nepal high commissioner in India and offered all possible help to Nepal in the hour of tragedy.

Captain Hercharn Singh (born 1986) is the first Sikh officer to be commissioned in the Pakistan Army. He was born in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, which is also the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

Hercharn passed his matriculation from Government Guru Nanak High School and passed his FSc (pre-engineering) in 2004 from Forman Christian College, Lahore. He then passed Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB) examination in 2006 after failing once and joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) at Kakul, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Hercharn passed out from PMA and was

commissioned into the Pakistan Army on 27 October 2007.He had told reporters, “It is a matter of great privilege and an honor for me that today I am standing in front of you in the khaki uniform. I have been given a great responsibility”

He was commissioned in Baloch Regiment. Currently, he’s serving as an ADC to a Corps Commander

Thursday, April 23, 2015

U.S Attorney General of the United
States, Eric Holder, warmly accepted the Sewa Award from the Sikhs in
Washington at the headquarters of the Department of Justice.

As head of the Justice Department which
is one of the largest agencies of the United States government, Eric Holder,
while accepting this honour from the Sikhs, said, “I am honoured to receive
this award and this is something that I receive on behalf of the men and
women of the Department of Justice."

He appreciated the
relationship between the Sikhs and the US government and said,
"We have tried to foster a spirit of cooperation and understanding
between those of us in government and the people that we serve. The Sikh
community has been critical part of our efforts to reach to many communities
here in the United States."

He promised Sikhs for future
cooperation and support and said, "I want to thank you again for this
recognition. This is just an indication of where we are but also a pledge on
part of the Justice Department that this relationship continues and it is
enhanced in future."

Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, based in
Rockville, MD, along with the National Sikh Center, honoured the Top lawyer of
the United States as part of the Vaisakhi celebrations. According to the
Chairman of GGSF, Inder Paul Singh Gadh, every year, the Foundation chooses to honour
an individual or an organization which contributes towards the betterment of
the Sikh community worldwide.

Gadh said, "This year,
we felt that there is no one more deserving than Mr. Eric Holder, the 82nd
Attorney General of the United States, who has contributed tremendously
towards the betterment of the Sikhs in the United States."

Eric Holder was honored with a Siropa (a
robe of honor) and a Sewa Service Award. Seven members of the Guru Gobind Singh
Foundation were present during this ceremony at the headquarters of the
Department of Justice in the nation’s capital.

A special prayer was performed in a room,
which previously was home to Robert Kennedy's office, while the Sikhs clasped
their hands in prayer in the presence of the nation's chief lawyer. A
traditional prayer called ardas was performed with a special
blessings being sought for the Attorney General and for the nation. A
robe of honor was presented and placed around Eric Holder's neck in a
traditional Sikh manner. In addition, an honorary plaque and a book on Sikhs
were presented to Mr. Holder. He was also presented a Phulkari,
a traditional Punjabi embroidered shawl with bright floral craft by Romi Kaur
Sawhney, the Executive Director of GGSF. The Attorney General thanked the Sikhs
while wearing this honorary robe and the shawl.

Dr. Rajwant Singh, Secretary of the
GGSF, who also performed the prayer for Mr. Holder, said "We are very
grateful to the Attorney General for his exemplary service to the nation
and for his positive role in assuring that all communities, including the Sikh
community, are safe during these challenging times especially in the aftermath
of the terrible shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara. Honoring him in the spirit
of the Sikh holiday Vaisakhi, which teaches us to stand up for the rights of
others, is an honorable thing to do in my opinion."

Dr. Singh added, "We feel
that the Attorney General's role on race issues is also bold and decisive, and
has added a constructive dialogue in confronting challenging issues. Him being a minority person in this high position
certainly has given inspiration to kids from all minorities especially Sikhs to
aspire for this high office."

Harminder Singh Jassal, a board member
of GGSF said, "On behalf of the entire Sikh community, we wanted to
express our deep appreciation and support for his courageous leadership for
supporting Sikhs and other minorities for protecting their civil rights and
freedom and religious expressions. We all prayed for him and the DOJ staff and
for the entire nation."

Romi Kaur said “It was a very exciting
moment for all Sikhs, especially for GGSF to be invited to the Attorney
General's office for a one-on-one meeting. It was an historic event. Attorney
General Holder was very gracious in receiving the plaque. I believe he was
genuinely humbled and pleasantly surprised by our gesture.”

Chattar Singh Saini, Board Member of GGSF and the
Chairman of the National Sikh Center, said, "The Department of Justice
under the leadership of Eric Holder has served the nation well and we as a
community have been helped by sensitivity training programs, know your
rights seminars, and various programs by the DOJ. The recent
inclusion of the monitoring of the hate crimes against the Sikhs is especially
notable. These solid steps are beneficial to hundreds of thousands of Sikhs in
the USA and members of other communities as well. We are thrilled to give him
this award on behalf of the Sikhs."

The DOJ has recently started tracking
hate crimes against Sikhs. This will produce Sikh-specific data on how many
hate crimes Sikhs endure, and the overall kinds of biases people of South Asian
descent face.

This moment was also an unforgettable
for members of the Sikh community. Arvinder Singh, Treasurer of GGSF, said
"I feel very excited to be at the DOJ headquarters while we are honoring a
cabinet member of President Obama. Eric Holder as an attorney of the United
States has shown that he cares for the Sikhs. He deserves to be honored.”

Ravi Singh, Board member of GGSF and
Coordinator of GGSF's Outreach Committee, said, "Today the Sikh community
honored AG Eric Holder with the Sewa (Service) Award for his dedication and
hard work to bring justice to all Americans and especially keeping minorities
and their rights in perspective. We are all safe and living peacefully due to
all the efforts to keep us and our nation safe by AG Eric Holder, the DOJ and the
Obama administration. It was an honor to meet the AG and visit the historical
DOJ building. The AG was so gracious and received us with such warmth. We have
extended him the invitation to visit the GGSF Gurudwara and hope to see him
with his family in the near future."

Last year GGSF had honored Brian Murphy
of Oak Creek Gurdwara who was hit with 15 bullets while he fought with a gun
man who killed Sikhs in the Wisconsin Gurdwara in 2012.

On the occasion of 64th Annual Day of SGTB Khalsa College, a large gathering of social workers, scholars, teachers, parents and students assembled at Master Tara Singh Auditorium, in the college premises on 21st April 2015.. S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Finance Minister of Punjab, alongside Chairman of the college Governing Body and former Chairman of the Minorities Commission of India S. Tarlochan Singh graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest. The college has instituted over eighty awards and scholarships for excellence in academics, sports, extra-curricular activities which were distributed on this occasion.

Dr. Jaswinder Singh, Principal, shared the yearlong academic and co-curricular activities of the college in his opening speech. This was followed by the Chief Guest’s address, who emphasised on the need for skill based training and articulated the importance of education in one’s life. S. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, General Secretary, DSGMC (Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee), in his address encouraged the students to pursue their dreams consistently, aspire for excellence. Present amongst the dignitaries were the members of the DSGMC along with educationists from the University of Delhi.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Boating for fun & masti is very common in every part of the world, but have you ever heard about a school on a boat ? Yeah ! this thought came into the mind of Ajeet singh, whose only aim was to DO RIGHT. He found small kids of fisherman, wasting their time and energy, aimlessly, on the banks of river Ganges in the Varanasi city. On his journey of doing right, for the small kids, he thought of educating them on a boat, under the banner of NGO GURIA.

All of us know & understand very well that for the economic growth of our country, the basic education for the kids is a must. But do you know that currently, we have the largest number of illiterates in the world ? Do you think, we can achieve our growth targets with such a large force of unguided illiterates. Our economy can grow at a much higher rate and our GDP can also touch the peak if we could concentrate on the education of these deprived children.

Varanasi boat club has set an example for all those who want to do something for the society. We must come forward to support Ajeet Singh by helping him in his noble cause. Please log on to the website http://doright.in/ to understand the entire concept and come forward to stand by him so that more & more kids could join the group of literates in our country. We must keep in mind that such views are very common in almost every part of our country & every rupee spent by us for this noble cause will lead to the Economic growth of our country.

Those visiting Varanasi for various religious commitments must come forward for the education of poor kids by providing them #scholorship so that more & more students could lead a settled life which is the foundation stone for the development of any country.

We must come forward for the magical transformation of all such kids by giving them an opportunity to get educated in an ideal learning environmentas provided by Ajeet singh, to the poor children of fisherman, by way of a boat school. I am sure that you too will join us for spreading the spirit of DOING RIGHT for this common cause as being done by Tata Capital, #India4India, so that more & more children could be accommodated on the path of development and glory.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce of Delhi University (Pitampura) organized its 31st Annual Day & Prize Distribution Function on 15 April 2015 at the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Auditorium in its premises.

Former Union Finance Minister Shri Yashwant Sinha graced the event as the chief guest along with the presence of other dignitaries MP & Former Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Sardar Manjit Singh GK President DSGMC & Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa General Secretary DSGMC who as guest of honor added grace to the event as well as awarded the meritorious students in various streams who have scored good rank in the university and highest marks in their classes. Also present on the occasion was S. Bhpinder Singh Anand, Chairman, Governing Body, and S. Harpreet Singh Jolly, Treasurer, Governing Body.

Apart from the students, felicitation of the staff on completion of 25 years of service by Chief Guest and Guest of honors was also the highlight of the event.

Speaking on this occasion, former union minister & Chief Guest Shri Yashwant Sinha said, “I am highly delighted to see that the students of the college are really doing well in academics as well as other extracurricular activities. The effort of the institution for building the future of the students is commendable and I congratulate the entire team of the college, students and parents for this grand success. SGGCC is doing a commendable job in preparing the students for a better tomorrow because these are the ones who are going to lead the nation in the next decade. Kudos to the college for preparing students to encounter professional challenges, instilling in them the desire for life-long learning, and the critical thinking and versatility needed to prevail in the global marketplace.”

Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said. “It’s good to know that the institution is doing well in almost all the streams. With so many courses under one umbrella, SGGSCC is dedicated for advancing the theory and analysis of commerce, economics and management. My sincere good wishes for the grand success of the institution and I congratulate the entire team for putting up such a great function.”

Addressing the audience Dr. Jatinder Bir Singh Principal of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Pitampura said, “I am proud to lead an institution specializing in business, commerce and economic studies and named after great tenth Sikh Guru. Our college started its corporate life with handful of students, limited faculty, little property, but a determined mission of imparting higher education and keeping cultural heritage intact. This courageous dream has guided our college for the past two and half decades and made it the leading center of discovery and learning that it is today. It is our collective efforts, however, that make this college such a vibrant place to learn, to work, and to explore.”

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

HASAN ABDAL (Dunya News) – Three days celebration of Sikh’s spring festival ‘Besakhi’ ended on Tuesday in Gurdawara Panja Sahab, Hasan Abdal. Federal Minister of Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Chairman Evacuee Trust Sadeeq Alfarooq were the chief guests of the last day of ‘Besakhi’.

Sikh pilgrims from all over the world including women and children, participated in the annual festival. Pilgrims performed their religious rituals at Gurdawara Panja Sahab for 4 days.

Assembly members from Sikh minority also addressed the pilgrims on the last day. Sikh delegates said that they are thankful to Pakistan government for taking care of their needs and providing them security despite all the fears of terrorism.

The Golden Temple, Amritsar is the most sacred of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is a major pilgrimage destination for devotees from around the world, as well as, an ever-increasing popular tourist attraction. Also part of the complex is the seat of the Sikh temporal authority, the Akal Takhat, the foundation of which was laid in 1606 by Guru Hargobind, who felt that the Sikh faith required a martial tenor. e ground oor of the Akal Takhat was ready by 1774 while the rest of the ve-storied edi ce was completed during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. e present building of the Takht is of a more recent vintage as it was rebuilt following its destruction in 1983 during Operation Blue Star.

Dukhniwaran Sahib, Patiala Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib is built on the site where Guru Tegh Bahadur, on appeal from villagers, sat under a banyan tree to rid their malaise-a ected village of its disease. Translated, dukh nivaran means eradicator of su ering, and the sarovar (tank) here is believed to have healing properties. An extensive covered area has been provided to facilitate devotees who wish to bathe in it.

Sri Takht Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib is the principle shrine in Anandpur Sahib. is is the historic site where, on the day of Vaisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh initiated his followers into the order of the Khalsa (Sikh nation). Legend maintains that the Guru requested those present to volunteer their heads to him.

A bipartisan Congressional resolution, highlighting Sikh community's "tremendous contributions" in the US, has greeted people across the globe on the occasion of Baisakhi.

"America's founding ideals of freedom of worship, equality, and justices are reflected in the Sikh American community's celebration of Baisakhi. With this Resolution, I am saying thank you and wishing Sikhs across America and around the world a joyous Baisakhi," said Congressman John Garamendi, the lead sponsor of the resolution and Co-Chair of the American Sikh Congressional Caucus.

Garamendi along with other legislators and civil rights' advocates recently welcomed the FBI's inclusion of Sikhs, Hindus, and Arab Americans in its hate crime tracking manual, a change they had pushed for.

Garamendi's office is presenting the manual to police departments in his district.

SINGAPORE: Many Indian communities, including the Tamils and Sikhs, are celebrating their New Year this week.

The Sikhs celebrated Vesakhi on Tuesday (Apr 14). The community also kicked off a series of celebrations to mark SG50. The light-up at the Central Sikh Temple, along Towner Road, on Tuesday evening marked the highlight of the 300-year-old festival.

The community has also organised a slew of activities, such as Sikh Environment Day and Saviour Day (Rakhewala) for the month of April. In May, the spotlight will be on how Sikh ladies celebrate SG50 with the Women's Festival.

There will also be awareness campaigns around the narratives surrounding Sikhism, including the importance of the turban and Sikh family life.

In the present world, the technology changes at the every
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charge upto 60% of your smart phone in just 39 minutes.

Strange, there are still many persons who are happy with
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Strange, there are many persons who are buying a smart
phone that offers a single sim while the latest & advanced technology
offered by ASUS Zenfone 2 can hold Dual Sims, Dual active.

Strange, there are still many persons who are being fooled
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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Indian carpenter Mohinder Singh Lotay (R) poses with his son Amandeep Singh Lotay and their handmade five seater wooden car at their home in Patiala . They claim the car, which cost 400,000 rupees ($8,464) to make and is based on the engine of a Maruti 800 with teak bodywork, can attain a top speed of 120kms per hour and has an economy level of 16kms per litre.